"Not quite — the next one is Super Saiyan 4 Full Power. Your hair turns the same color as the fur on your body... or more precisely, slightly darker than the fur." Goku explained. "I won't demonstrate it though — if I keep going in here, this space probably can't hold."
"Understood." Gohan nodded firmly, his eyes on his father full of something close to reverence.
CRACK!
Goku released the energy and returned to normal.
"I had no idea Dad had become this powerful." Gohan marveled, deeply moved.
"It's nothing special." Goku said with a warm smile.
"Is there really a Super Saiyan 5?" Gohan asked again.
"Yes. I feel like I've touched the edge of it." Goku said, thinking it over.
Gohan was struck dumb again.
There really is a Super Saiyan 5.
"Dad — how did you get this strong?" Gohan asked, his expression still not quite recovered.
"Well — Dad came to this era from about thirty years in the future. In what's become a pretty common way of putting it — Dad was reincarnated." Goku said quietly, speaking plainly.
Gohan's jaw dropped.
His chin nearly hit the ground.
That can't be right.
Dad reincarnated? Like me?
Does that mean — was Frieza becoming so powerful because of Dad's reincarnation?
"I was reincarnated about two years before now." Goku added.
"That..." Gohan didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
I thought all these changes to the world were because of me.
It turns out they were all because of Dad.
"Actually, Dad — I'm also... reincarnated." Gohan said, face going a little pink. He lowered his head, a bit awkward about it.
"Dad already figured that out. Something seemed off about Gohan three days ago." Goku said warmly.
"Huh? Dad knew I was reincarnated?" Gohan looked up in surprise — then quickly understood.
Uncle Piccolo figured it out. Of course Dad could too.
"Gohan was reincarnated from Trunks' future world, wasn't he?" Goku asked with a gentle smile.
"Yes." Gohan answered firmly.
"That explains it — no wonder Gohan and Trunks were talking so animatedly." Goku laughed.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't tell you the truth. I was scared that my reincarnation would cause even bigger changes to this world." Gohan said, head bowed, genuinely contrite, and added, "But Uncle Piccolo figured it out..."
"Piccolo knows too." Goku said, unsurprised. Then, almost casually, "By the way — Frieza was also reincarnated."
"Frieza was reincarnated too?!" Gohan was stunned again.
"I'm not sure where from, but he became very powerful — far more powerful than the Frieza from my world." Goku mused.
"Dad came from thirty years in the future — which means ten years after my era." Gohan worked through the math quietly.
"Not necessarily." Goku shook his head. "The world Dad came from and the world Gohan came from might be completely different."
"Different?" Gohan blinked.
"The world Dad came from went through..." Goku gave Gohan a brief summary of everything that had happened — and was yet to come.
He began with the two Androids, then Cell, then Majin Buu. After Buu came the passage of years, then the arrival of the Tuffle King Baby. After Baby came Super Android 17. Finally — the Dragon Balls overused to the breaking point, the negative energy rising, and the birth of the Shadow Dragons.
All of it. Goku kept nothing back from his son.
He talked for hours.
He even got into the finer details.
Including the fact that Android 18 would one day be Krillin's wife.
And Gohan's own future wife, and their daughter Pan.
He told him all of it because he genuinely felt that his son was mature enough to receive it — that Gohan, as he was now, could handle the weight of a different world's history without being crushed by it.
A younger Gohan, Goku wouldn't have burdened this way.
But this Gohan — over twenty years old in real terms, someone who had lived through a world that had fallen to the Androids — this Gohan could take it.
"I had no idea Dad's world had gone through so much more..." Gohan wiped his forehead, managing an unsteady smile. "And... Uncle Krillin ends up marrying Android 18 and having a child with her? The Androids in your world are good people? That's completely different from everything I knew."
"So, Gohan — if the Androids in our world turn out to be good people, could you spare them?" Goku asked. "Krillin finding a wife wasn't easy — right?"
"If the Androids in this world are good — I won't kill them." Gohan answered with a firm, decisive nod.
"Dad owes Krillin a thank you on his behalf." Goku said warmly.
Krillin had no idea his wife nearly never got to exist.
"So — I train here with you for a while, and then you take me to the Sacred World of the Kais so Lord Old Kai can draw out my latent energy. That's the plan?" Gohan had it all mapped out.
"That's exactly what I had in mind." Goku nodded, looking at his son with quiet seriousness. "Gohan — your potential is enormous. The form that Lord Old Kai drew out for you in my world was stronger than my Super Saiyan 3."
"Really?" Gohan felt a surge of confidence.
"But Gohan — once you're a little older, make sure you go to school in Satan City." Goku added.
"Satan City?" Gohan blinked.
"I remember that's where you met Videl while you were in high school — and you two got married, and she became the mother of my granddaughter Pan." Goku looked up at the white sky with a distant expression. "I really do like Pan. Thinking about it now... I really miss her."
Gohan's face went red. He had absolutely no idea what to say.
"Pan is actually the reason I recovered from losing my reason during my Great Ape transformation and became the true Super Saiyan 4." Goku said with a smile.
Gohan: ...
Gohan wiped his face.
"Dad... I've never once thought about getting married..." Gohan said, growing more flustered by the second.
"That's because Gohan's future world was brutal. There was no time for things like that." Goku said gently. "In the world we're living in now — Gohan can try to experience what life really feels like while getting stronger."
"Yes, Dad. I understand." Gohan nodded with quiet gravity.
"Then — let's begin by transcending the Super Saiyan." Goku laid out the plan.
Father and son began their training in earnest.
It took Gohan less than two months to achieve it.
"Dad — I did it!" Gohan couldn't contain himself.
"Well done, Gohan." Goku nodded with satisfaction. "I think it's about time to head out."
"Yes!" Gohan's anticipation was written all over his face.
Goku led Gohan out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
"Goku? You're out already?" Kami said, mildly surprised.
"Training went well — figured we'd come out early." Goku gave a cheerful laugh and waved. "Lord Kami, we'll be on our way."
"Off you go." Kami nodded.
Whoosh!
Goku activated Instant Transmission with Gohan, and they reappeared on Mount Paozu in an instant.
They sat down and had a proper meal together.
"Gohan — what possessed you to suddenly start training? Didn't you say you wanted to be a great scholar?" Chi-Chi asked during the meal, more than a little put out.
"Mom — I thought it through. The world doesn't need another great scholar." Gohan said, his expression earnest and direct. "And honestly — when it comes to raw talent, the gap between me and Aunt Bulma is enormous. Purely in science and technology — she's a genius, and I don't come close."
"That's..." Chi-Chi opened her mouth and found she had no argument.
"Mom — I want to protect the Earth." Gohan said with quiet intensity. "This planet is going to face a lot of danger in the future. It needs someone to defend it. The same way Dad has always defended it."
Chi-Chi fell silent. She looked at her son and felt, suddenly and unmistakably, that he had grown up.
The old Gohan would never have said something like this.
Goku, for his part, kept eating steadily throughout and said nothing.
Gohan said it well enough without him.
"Goku — don't you have anything to say?" Chi-Chi tried one last time.
"Chi-Chi — let Gohan make his own choices. He's grown up." Goku said gently.
Chi-Chi let out a long, resigned sigh. With both of them this stubborn about it, there wasn't much to do but accept it.
"Chi-Chi — after dinner I'm taking Gohan out to train again. The house is in your hands." Goku said with a slightly apologetic smile.
"Make sure you come home more often!" Chi-Chi said, clearly unhappy.
"No worries — we'll have another child to keep you company." Goku laughed, put his hand on Gohan's shoulder, and used Instant Transmission to vanish.
Chi-Chi stood there alone, a blush rising slowly to her cheeks.
Another child with Goku.
...That's actually not a bad idea.
First one didn't quite turn out as planned — try again with the next...
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Goku had brought Gohan to the Sacred World of the Kais.
"Dad — do I have a little brother?" Gohan asked with a flash of delighted curiosity.
"In my world, yes. His name is Goten. He's one year younger than Trunks." Goku answered.
"That's wonderful!" Gohan lit up. "The world you came from really is completely different from mine."
"That's Lord Old Kai over there." Goku pointed toward a craggy-looking old man some distance away. "Don't judge by appearances — his fighting strength is nothing special, but his abilities are extraordinary."
"Who's that next to Lord Old Kai?" Gohan immediately noticed someone sitting nearby eating with great enthusiasm. "Isn't that the person who came to Earth with Frieza?"
"His name is Broly. Also a Saiyan — and quite remarkable." Goku said with genuine admiration. "It took Super Saiyan 4 Full Power just to barely defeat him. I think Broly still has enormous room to grow — given time, even I might not be his match."
"Broly is that strong?" Gohan was stunned.
"Don't provoke him for now. When Broly transforms, he loses his mind — wait until he's fully come back to himself." Goku murmured, lowering his voice.
"Understood, Dad." Gohan gave a serious nod, and took a second, more careful look at Broly.
That one is not to be trifled with.
It took Super Saiyan 4 Full Power just to barely beat him.
Even if I achieved the mysterious form Dad described, I probably still couldn't touch him.
I need to get far, far stronger.
"You're back, you rascal." Old Kai came jogging over, still fuming, and fixed Goku with a sharp glare.
"Ha — Lord Old Kai." Goku laughed.
"Oh — hello, Lord Old Kai. This is our first time meeting." Gohan stepped forward and bowed.
Old Kai gave Gohan a sideways look.
A brief pause.
"Goku — has your son lost his memory? We've met before." Old Kai sniffed.
"Well... exactly as I suspected — Gohan was reincarnated." Goku said plainly.
Having already told Old Kai about the reincarnation situation, there was no reason to hide that Gohan's was the same.
Old Kai's eyes went wide. His mouth fell open. His expression locked.
Both father and son reincarnated?
This is absolutely beyond comprehension.
Should I ask Whis... what on earth has happened to our timeline?
How are there this many reincarnated people?
Three confirmed already.
How many more that we don't know about?
"Don't your reincarnated people usually carry memories from their previous bodies?" Old Kai said, pressing his lips together and giving Goku a flat look.
"Memories?" Goku scratched the back of his head.
"What does Lord Old Kai mean?" Gohan asked, equally puzzled.
"In general — someone who has been reincarnated retains the memories of the body they've come to inhabit." Old Kai sighed, then waved his hand. "Forget it. It doesn't matter. None of that matters anymore."
At that, Old Kai lowered his voice and leaned close to Goku's ear.
"Goku — take that Broly fellow away with you. Having him here is like sitting next to a bomb with no timer. I keep waiting for it to go off." Old Kai said quietly.
"Don't worry about it, Lord Old Kai." Goku waved it off with a laugh. "As long as he doesn't transform, there won't be any trouble."
"And what if he randomly transforms because something sets him off?" Old Kai said, deeply uneasy.
You can't just tell me he won't transform and expect me to believe it.
What if something provokes him and he goes off? What then?
"So is that why you came back? Not to take Broly with you?" Old Kai said, his expression going dark.
"Hey, Broly — you want to come with me, or stay here?" Goku called over.
"I'll stay. The food here is better than anything Frieza's forces ever gave me." Broly shook his head and answered immediately.
"See — Broly wants to stay. Isn't that right, Lord Old Kai?" Goku grinned.
Old Kai: ...
"Lord Old Kai — I came here this time because I want you to help draw out Gohan's latent energy." Goku said with a warm smile.
"Draw out his latent energy?" Old Kai paused, and looked at Gohan again more carefully.
"In my world — after you drew it out, Gohan's strength was far beyond Majin Buu's." Goku said plainly.
"Oh? Is that so?" Old Kai circled Gohan once, studying him carefully, and confirmed what he'd suspected. Then he stroked his chin with a quiet evaluation: "This kid's something. I can feel it — his latent energy is larger than yours. It might even rival that Broly character."
"I knew it would be." Goku said, genuinely delighted.
"Alright — I'll do it." Old Kai agreed without hesitation. He pointed to a patch of open ground nearby and addressed Gohan. "Stand there and don't move. I'll have your strength improved shortly."
"Yes, Lord Old Kai!" Gohan said, his expression focused with quiet resolve.
A day passed quickly.
The next morning.
Bulma produced a Capsule from her pocket and tossed it.
POP!
It expanded into the Time Machine.
"Bulma — did the Time Machine finish charging?" Vegeta asked.
"The Cyan-7 energy solution is still in very early development stages at the company..." Bulma shook her head. "The machine isn't at full charge — but it has enough for a round trip."
"That's all we need." Vegeta nodded, satisfied.
"In our future world, getting this much charge takes at least two years." Trunks said, quiet wonder in his voice.
"Haven't Goku and Gohan shown up yet? I thought they were going to the future too." Bulma looked up at the sky.
"Hmph — Kakarot took Gohan into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. They should be out any time now." Vegeta said with an easy smile, entirely confident.
"Work hard, Trunks — bring those Androids down!" Bulma cheered.
"Yes, Mom." Trunks nodded with solemn resolve.
"Once the Androids are taken care of, come back and visit." Bikini said warmly.
"I will, Grandma." Trunks answered.
Whoosh!
As they talked, Goku and Gohan appeared in a flash via Instant Transmission.
Gohan had changed into an orange gi matching Goku's.
If not for the hairstyle, the current Gohan and a young Goku could have passed for the same person.
"Master Gohan — Mr. Goku." Trunks stepped forward with a polite greeting.
"Is everyone ready?" Goku asked with a relaxed smile.
"Ready and waiting — just for you and Master Gohan." Trunks said with a light nod.
"By the way — how long will it take to get back once we're in the future?" Goku asked.
"This era's Mom has already charged the machine. A round trip won't be a problem." Trunks answered.
"Alright then — I'll come along." Goku's eyes brightened.
He had originally assumed the Time Machine would need a year or two to recharge — which had made him hesitant to commit to going.
If everyone leaves and something happens on Earth, there'd be no one to handle it.
Especially with Broly — once Broly lost control, the damage would be worse than any villain.
But if it's only a few days away — that's manageable.
And Goku had another plan in mind.
While they were in Trunks' future — he could find a Namekian on Earth there and bring them back. Make them the new Guardian of Earth.
Once there was a new Guardian, the Dragon Balls would be back in play — and future problems would be far easier to solve.
"Then — let's go." Goku said with a smile. He glanced at the Time Machine. "Though — will this thing fit all of us? Vegeta — you're coming too?"
"Obviously." Vegeta snorted.
I need to see my son put on a show.
If I'm not there, what's the point?
"Four people... it'll fit?" Goku's mouth twitched slightly.
"It'll be tight... but manageable." Trunks said with a strained smile.
"Enough talk, Kakarot." Vegeta gave him a flat look and stepped into the Time Machine first.
Before his reincarnation, Vegeta had ridden Trunks' Time Machine once.
At maximum capacity, it had held four: Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, and Mai.
He knew this one could handle them.
"Grandpa, Grandma, Mom — Dad and I are going!" Trunks called back with a wave.
"Please be careful, all of you." Bulma said, a small flicker of worry in her eyes.
"We'll be fine, Bulma." Goku waved reassuringly.
With that, Goku and Gohan climbed into the Time Machine.
Trunks was last — he boarded and sealed the hatch.
The Time Machine lifted slowly, rose into the sky, and began to spin at increasing speed.
Vegeta glanced at Goku.
I'm waiting for the moment Kakarot turns green.
Last time the machine spun this fast, Goku was completely disoriented when they arrived — stumbled out and vomited.
Whoosh!
The Time Machine flickered in place — and was gone.
In what felt like an instant, the machine and all four of its passengers materialized in Trunks and Gohan's future world.
Creak...
The Time Machine hatch opened.
Goku flew out first, bringing Gohan with him.
Vegeta stared at Goku.
He stood there, genuinely puzzled.
Why isn't he sick?
Kakarot was supposed to be sensitive to Time Machine motion.
Why does he look completely fine?
Not a single sign of disorientation.
To be continued…
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